Olympic Dreams
by cnr526
Summary: The American ice dancing teams of Beca Mitchell/Jesse Swanson and Chloe Beale/Tom Lawrence are competing against each other in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Their rivalry is publicly fierce and exciting but privately made complicated by the fact that Beca and Chloe are secretly dating. Can the romance survive the fight to the Olympic Podium? Which team will go home with the gold medal?
1. Chapter 1

"Chloe this is a bad idea. There are press people right outside of this door! Do you know how easy it would be for one of them to walk right in and see us?"

It was a scene that any paparazzi in the world would have mortgaged their house to get a shot of: Beca Mitchell, twenty two year-old Olympic silver medalist in ice dancing for the United States, caught in a very heated make out session with twenty four year-old Chloe Beale, one half of the Olympic gold medal-winning ice dance team of Chloe Beale and Tom Lawrence. It would be a front-page scandal, a national news story. Not only were Chloe and Tom Beca and her partner Jesse Swanson's training partners (Chloe and Tom were also competing for the United States and they practiced at the same rink that Beca and Jesse did) but they were also Beca and Jesse's biggest competition.

Beca and Chloe had known each other for five years, ever since they started training at the same ice rink, but had only started secretly dating four months ago. Beca and Jesse had never pretended to be anything other than best friends and partners, but Chloe and her partner Tom had gone public with their relationship right after the last Olympics three years ago. The relationship was more for the public's benefit and their image than it was for them personally, but while Jesse was well aware of Chloe and Beca's secret romance, Tom had no idea of it. And Chloe wanted to keep it that way- at least until they were done competing in this year's Olympic games.

Currently, the two rival ice dancing teams were in Sochi for a pre-Olympic press conference. Jesse and Tom had gone off to talk to people before the press conference, but Chloe and Beca were alone in the green room- and using the rare moment of privacy to their full advantage.

Chloe used her significant height difference over her tiny girlfriend to forcefully push her up against the wall of the green room. She pinned Beca's arms above her head, latching her lips onto the delicate skin of the smaller girl's neck.

"I don't care if anyone sees us," she mumbled, her lips trailing from Beca's ear to her collarbone and back again.

Beca tried to free herself to no avail.

"Do you know how much of a scandal this would be? If somebody caught us like this? We don't need a scandal right now, Chlo. In fact, this would be about the absolute worst time to have a scandal."

"Any press is good press." Chloe argued. "There's no such thing as bad publicity." She grinned charmingly up at Beca, using the full force of her baby blues to her advantage. Her fingers trailed under the hem of Beca's shirt, and she felt a burst of triumph when she saw Beca pull her bottom lip between her teeth. She was clearly fighting a losing battle.

"Yeah, actually the public would eat something like this up." Beca admitted with a slight laugh.

"I wanna eat you up." Chloe winked, sinking to her knees in front of Beca. She lifted the bottom of Beca's shirt, trailing her tongue across the sliver of pale skin right above the waistband of her jeans. Beca moaned quietly, weaving her hands through Chloe's loose red hair and tugging gently. Just then, the door to the green room swung open. Both Chloe and Beca's hearts leapt into their throats and Chloe launched herself backward from Beca, using her Olympic level of balance and agility to land gracefully on her feet. She recovered quickly; cool as a cucumber, but Beca's face was bright red. Thankfully, it was only Jesse, Beca's skating partner, standing in the doorway. He quickly took in the disheveled clothes and guiltily red cheeks of his partner, and Chloe standing a suspiciously wide distance from her, and his dark eyes flashed with an immediate understanding of the situation. He crossed his arms over his strong chest, his jaw set.

"They're waiting for you guys out there." He said simply.

Chloe gave Jesse a bashfully apologetic smile and locked eyes with Beca for a brief moment as a goodbye gesture before walking out the door. Beca took a second to smooth her hands down the front of her shirt, and without looking at Jesse, walked out of the green room. Jesse and his long legs caught up with her in two seconds.

"That was reckless and stupid, Beca." he said under his breath as they walked down the hallway. "Somebody could have seen you."

"I know. I'm sorry."

The guilt in Beca's dark blue eyes softened Jesse's anger. He reached down and gave her hand a squeeze.

"You just had to go and fall for the enemy, didn't you?" He shook his head, only sort of teasing.

Beca shot a half-smile back at him.

"Yeah, well, when do I ever make things easy for myself?"

"That would be... never."

Beca had to agree. It would have been so easy to fall for Jesse. To make her family, and certainly her fans happy. But despite the close friendship that she and Jesse had shared for the past ten years, they had never developed any sort of romantic feelings towards one other. Chloe on the other hand...

Chloe had burst into Beca's life five years ago when she and Tom began training at the same ice rink in downtown Atlanta. The fierce competitor in seventeen year-old Beca had wanted to hate Chloe, and to use that hate for her new rival in order to fuel her own competitive edge. But much to Beca's confusion and disappointment, Chloe had been impossible to hate. The bubbly redhead radiated warmth, and like a moth to a flame, Beca had been drawn in immediately. Chloe was bubbly, sweet, open, and had an extremely poor understanding of personal boundaries. She was always touchy-feely with Beca right from the very beginning. She was always finding any excuse to hug her or hold her hand or snuggle up against her. And instead of being put off by this like Beca would have been with just about anybody else, she instead found herself relishing in the physical contact, reveling in the closeness. Their chemistry had built and built until finally one day after an intense practice on the ice, the tension had become too much. The two girls found themselves backed into a corner of the locker room, practically clawing each other's clothes off as they fooled around against a row of noisy metal lockers. And that was it. There was no going back for Beca.

Jesse let go of Beca's hand and wrapped his arm around her slim shoulders. They walked down the hallway with Jesse hugging her close to his body as they followed Tom and Chloe through the double doors that led into the room where the press conference was being held. The room was filled wall to wall with journalists and photographers from different magazines around the world. Beca smiled a bright, well-practiced smile as the flashbulbs went off. She took her seat next to Jesse behind the long table that was set up. There was a water bottle and microphone in front of every seat. Beca unscrewed the cap to the water bottle and eagerly took a sip. Interviews and press conferences were nothing new to her, but she was still sort of shy and found that no matter how many interviews she did, there would always be that tiny bundle of nerves buzzing in her stomach before she had to speak. Jesse gave her hand another reassuring squeeze below the table and Beca smiled gratefully at him. He knew she got nervous before these types of events and always did whatever little thing he could to put her at ease. Jesse's goofy sense of humor and his warmth had charmed everybody who came in contact with him since Beca and Jesse burst onto the Olympic scene four years ago. Beca was more quiet and reserved and they complimented each other perfectly. Jesse really was the best partner she could have ever asked for.

The questions began immediately with the first one being asked to Chloe. Beca couldn't help but stare at Chloe's mouth as she talked. Her gaze trailed upwards and landed on Chloe's eyes. Beca had never seen eyes so blue on anyone before. There were entire fan pages dedicated to the blueness of Chloe Beale's eyes.

"Keep it in your pants." Jesse whispered, his lips pressed against her ear so that there would be no chance of anyone else overhearing. Beca jumped, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"Beca, can you tell me what it's been like to train side by side with your biggest competitors these past few years?" a reporter asked.

Beca cleared her throat slightly before leaning into the microphone.

"Training beside Tom and Chloe everyday has really pushed us to train to the very best of our abilities. These guys are the best in the world, so to be able to see what they can do really helps Jesse and I be the best athletes that we can be. We really couldn't have asked for a better situation. If Tom and Chloe weren't as good as they are, then Jesse and I wouldn't be as good as we are, it's as simple as that."

"How close are you guys?" another reporter asked.

_Chloe's tongue was just down my throat ten minutes ago... I'd say pretty close_ Beca thought to herself.

"We have sleepovers every day." Chloe joked lightly, causing the room to burst into laughter.

"Yeah, and I really can't go anywhere without Jesse by my side." Tom added teasingly, to which Jesse responded by leaning sideway in order to fist bump Tom. Beca smiled. The reporters were eating this up.

"As you can tell, we really hate each other." Beca joked.

"We know it would make a much more interesting story if we really did hate each other." Chloe said. "But we're really just friendly competitors. The competition is fierce, I mean we're both fighting to take home that gold medal, but we're both just going to give it our all and leave everything out on the ice because that's what we came here to do."

Chloe leaned back in her chair and caught Beca's eye, giving her a wink. There was no doubt; both teams came here to win. But Beca had a sneaking suspicion that Chloe was going to find some very interesting ways to spice up these Olympic games. And honestly, Beca couldn't wait.


	2. Chapter 2

"I wish I was rooming with you." Beca pouted as she and Chloe stopped outside of Beca's room. Beca wanted to reach out and touch Chloe, but she resisted the urge, balling her hands into fists at her sides. She had been doing that a lot since they came to Sochi. Beca was really beginning to miss her girlfriend's touch.

"Now that would raise some eyebrows." Chloe smirked. "Even more I mean."

Beca cocked her head to the side, confused.

"I already saw people looking at us weird when we sat together at dinner." Chloe explained.

Beca's eyes clouded over with worry.

"Really? They were? Lots of people?"

"No, not lots. But it must have looked kind of strange. You are the enemy after all. My competition." Chloe teased.

Beca bit her lip, and Chloe took a step closer to her, her eyes soft.

"Hey, don't worry about it okay? Nobody suspects anything." She quickly glanced down the hallway in both directions before reaching out for Beca's hand, running her thumb in soothing circles over the top.

"Not yet they don't." Beca glanced down at Chloe's tender fingers before gently pulling her hand away.

"We have to be careful, Chlo."

"We are being careful. I haven't kissed you once in three days. I'm dying here."

Beca laughed weakly.

"Me too."

Chloe took a dangerously close step towards Beca, and Beca glanced nervously around her.

"There's so many things I wish I could do to you right now." Chloe whispered in Beca's ear. Beca's body reacted as it always did, flushing with heat from her ears down to her toes. Her eyes fluttered slightly and she swallowed hard.

Without realizing what she was doing, Beca answered back in a whisper.

"Like what?"

"Like..."

"Hey guys!"

Beca jumped about ten feet in the air as Amanda Harris, a figure skater from the United States waved to them from down the hallway.

"Hey, Amanda!" Beca managed to say clearly, hiding her shaking hands behind her back. Once Amanda was out of sight, Beca's body relaxed, but her face had taken on a new hardness.

"Shit." she ran a hand through her loose brown hair. "That isn't 'being careful' Chlo!"

"It's fine, she didn't see anything." Chloe assured her.

"We can't keep cutting it this close!"

Chloe took a step back, a look of hurt crossing her features.

"Don't yell at me, Beca."

Beca crossed and uncrossed her arms in distress, finally placing her hands on her hips. She wasn't really mad at Chloe and she hated the fact that she had put that hurt into her girlfriend's eyes, but she had a quick temper and wasn't always the best at controlling it.

"I'm sorry, I'm just frustrated, okay? Being here means more than anything in the world to me, and I don't want to do anything to fuck it up or jeopardize my performance. I need to go to bed, I have a big day of practice tomorrow, and I need to be on my game."

Without even saying goodbye or giving Chloe the chance to talk, Beca opened the door to her room and walked inside.

Her roommate wasn't back yet so she took the time alone to shower and collect her thoughts. She knew she had just been an enormous bitch to Chloe when she didn't deserve it, but competing in the Olympics meant more to her than anything in the world. She needed to focus entirely on that. For the next two weeks her relationship needed to be put on the back burner.

Once Beca climbed into bed, she pulled out her phone to text Chloe.

_I'm sorry about how I acted earlier. You didn't deserve that. I just tend to completely lose all of my senses whenever you come anywhere near me and while I'm here my focus needs to be entirely on competing._

Chloe responded almost instantly.

_Clearly you make me lose all of my senses too. And I agree. The relationship we have with our partners is the more important relationship and we should only be focusing on that for the next two weeks._

Beca felt silly at the fact that Chloe's text stung a little, since she was only agreeing with what Beca had said and Beca was the one who had initiated the conversation in the first place. But the slight bit of hurt she felt was nearly erased when she received another text thirty seconds later. She opened it, fighting back a smile as she read the message.

_Doesn't mean I won't be thinking about you;)_


	3. Chapter 3

"You're really on today!" Jesse complimented Beca as he collapsed onto a bench, breathing heavily. They had just run through both of their programs a couple of times, going over the more difficult lifts and making sure every move was precise and perfect. They were skating to a medley of sultry Spanish acoustic guitar songs for their short dance and to a Tchaikovsky medley for their free dance.

"Thanks!" Beca said, collapsing on the floor next to the bench. "Chloe and I talked about some things last night, so my focus is 110% with you. We decided to put our relationship on hold so that we could focus on competing. No distractions."

"That's good to hear." Jesse said, taking a swig from his water bottle. "And you're okay with that?"

"I'm the one who asked for it."

Jesse arched one dark eyebrow.

"Really now? I'm impressed. Plotting to get rid of the enemy." He winked.

Beca punched her partner in the arm.

"That is not what I am doing!"

"I'm surprised you even think you'll be able to go without sex for that long." Jesse smirked.

"And I'm surprised you even remember what sex is, it's been so long since you've had it!"

"Alright you two, let's get up and go through the twizzles and the curve lift couple more times before we call it a day." Beca and Jesse's coach called over to them from the ice. Christopher Lingo was a legendary coach and choreographer who pushed Beca and Jesse every day like it was the last day they would ever skate. Christopher's sister, Amelia Lingo, was Chloe and Tom's coach.

Just as Beca and Jesse were stepping back into the ice, Chloe and Tom walked into the rink. They waved at Beca and Jesse warmly. Beca gave Chloe a smile, pushing down the giddy school-girl feeling that invaded her body whenever Chloe walked into a room and trying to ignore the fact that Chloe and Tom were holding hands. She turned away from them and grabbed firmly onto Jesse's hand as they skated to the middle of the ice. When Chloe and Tom began to practice, Beca's competitive drive began to kick in. As much as she adored Chloe, she was still Beca's biggest competition, and whenever both pairs were out on the ice practicing together, they both fed off the fact that their rivals were watching every move they made.

"You've got to admit, they're looking good." Jesse said to her.

Beca nodded in agreement. Beca was not a jealous person, but watching Chloe and Tom skate together was not an easy thing to do. She knew off the ice that Chloe was all hers, albeit in secret. But on the ice, the fire and chemistry between Tom and Chloe was enough to make Beca uncomfortable. There were times when it felt even intrusive to watch them.

Chloe and Tom and Beca and Jesse had two very different styles of skating. Tom and Chloe were all romance, passion, artistry, chemistry. Beca and Jesse were more theatrical, energetic, intricate, and detailed. It made for a very interesting rivalry between them and some very heated battles between the two team's fan bases.

"I have to say, Becs, I'm impressed." Jesse said as he slung his arm around Beca's shoulder. They held onto the side of the rink, slipping on their skate guards. "You didn't moon over Chloe once the entire practice."

Beca smirked.

"My head is in the game, Jess, I told you-"

But it seemed like she might have spoken too soon. Just as Beca's eyes happened to flick over to Tom and Chloe, Chloe reached up to pull Tom down into a deep kiss. Beca blinked. It wasn't like she had never seen Chloe and Tom kiss before. But never once in the entire time since the two couples began training together had Beca seen Chloe and Tom kiss on the ice. In the middle of a practice. That kiss was definitely for show. Had Chloe done that for her benefit? Why? To psych her out? To get back at her for wanting to take a break from their relationship?

"What the hell was that?" Jesse asked, folding his arms over his chest as his eyes remained on Tom and Chloe.

"I have no idea." Beca said, her jaw set tight. But she was sure as hell going to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

"Why did you do that?" Beca demanded as she burst into Chloe's room unannounced. Chloe, who was stretching on the floor, jumped and let out a yelp, her hand flying up to press against her chest.

"Oh my god, Beca!"

"What were you trying to prove?" Beca stomped over to Chloe, her hands on her hips, the pale skin of her face and neck flushed with spots of red. Chloe's pale blue eyes were wide with surprise and confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"You! Kissing Tom! In the middle of a practice! Why did you do that?"

Chloe pushed herself off the floor, crossing her arms over her chest.

Chloe shook her head and leaned in slightly, like she was letting Beca in on some big secret.

"Technically, Tom is my boyfriend, Beca."

Beca scoffed "Don't give me that bullshit, Chloe. You know that's not what I'm asking. I have never, not once in the entire time I've known you, seen you kiss Tom in the middle of a practice. It was ridiculous. Like you were in some freaking soap opera! What did you do that for? To get back at me? Because that's really petty, Chloe-"

"Beca, shut up before you say something you regret!" Chloe warned, her voice rising. She ran her hands through her hair and began to pace back and forth, a distressed look on her face.

"You're right. Something was up when I kissed Tom during practice. I never would have done that if I didn't have a reason." She stopped pacing and faced Beca, her hands on her hips.

"I was going to come and find you in a little bit so that I could tell you what's going on. I stopped by your room right after I was done practice but you weren't there."

Beca's heart gave a nervous thud.

"What's going on?" she asked hesitantly.

"That kiss was for show. But, it wasn't for your benefit. It was so that everyone else in the rink could see it."

Beca's confused look, promoted Chloe to continue.

"Somebody saw us, Beca. Kissing outside of your room the other day."

The blood drained from Beca's face.

"What? How do you know?"

"I've heard rumors. And there's a picture going around. It's dark and blurry, but you can clearly see that it's two girls. I don't know who took it." Chloe said miserably. She sat down on the edge of her bed and put her face in her hands.

"I kissed Tom hoping that people would see it and the rumors about me and you would die down."

"Oh my god." Beca whispered. She sat down next to Chloe. They stayed silent for a good few minutes before Beca tentatively reached over and placed her hand on Chloe's thigh.

"What are we going to do?" she asked quietly. Chloe took in a shaky breath, looking just as lost as Beca felt.

Chloe blinked up at the ceiling, and Beca could practically see the frantic thoughts racing around in her head. This was every worry they had ever had about their secret being revealed coming to fruition. If this got out to the press, everything would be at stake.

Chloe's thigh bounced nervously beneath Beca's hand. Chloe shook her head, and her voice came out in a desperate whisper.

"I don't know."


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You seem edgy."

Beca looked up at Jesse from her spot on the floor where she was currently stretching. They had arrived at the Iceberg Skating Palace about three hours earlier and were currently backstage along with all of the other ice dance couples who had yet to compete. They were going to be the second to last couple to compete their Dance, the last couple being Chloe and Tom, and Beca was trying to keep herself calm.

"I'm about to compete for a gold medal at the Olympics, Jesse, how am I supposed to feel?" she snapped. Her eyes drifted off to Chloe and Tom who were rhythmically pacing back and forth about fifteen feet from Beca and Jesse. They were holding hands as they usually did before a competition and Tom was saying something to Chloe whose mind was clearly someplace else. Beca rolled her eyes and scoffed as Tom prattled on, oblivious to the lack of attention Chloe was paying to him. It wasn't like Chloe to be so unfocused and disconnected from Tom before a competition, but Beca certainly understood it. She hadn't spoken more than a few words to her girlfriend, not to mention Jesse, since the picture of her and Chloe kissing had been leaked three days ago, and the constant threat of their identities being found out was hovering over her like a black storm cloud, completely detracting her attention from the competition. There was also the mystery of _who_ had taken the picture to contend with, which was constantly on Beca's mind.

"Hey, now is not the time to get snappy with me, okay?" Jesse said as he plopped himself down on the ground next to Beca, crossing his legs pretzel-style. Beca sighed and bit her lip as Chloe briefly looked her way, her eyes wide with worry. Beca looked down, frustratedly rubbing the bridge of her nose between her thumb and pointer finger. Jesse noticed the exchange and grasped Beca's chin with his fingers, forcing her to look at him.

"Stop focusing on her, Becs. Stop focusing on that picture. Right now none of that matters."

Beca half-heartedly rolled her eyes. "Am I about to get a pep talk?"

Jesse, either missing her sarcasm completely or simply choosing to ignore it, grabbed both of Beca's hands and gave them a hearty shake.

"Yes you are." he said, earnestly.

Beca smirked as she removed her hands from his, and Jesse rolled his eyes, instead placing his hands on her thighs, right above her knees. His face was filled with an infectious, puppy-dog enthusiasm that even Beca had to admit was beginning to melt her worry away, if only for the moment.

"Listen to me, Becs. Right now, we are number two in the world. I don't know about you, but number two isn't good enough for me."

Beca looked down, swallowing hard as the competitive edge in her began to rise.

"Number two isn't good enough for me either."

"Right. We deserve that number one spot. We deserve that gold medal. If we do everything right, we will win it. It's ours. We have worked too damn hard to walk away with that silver medal. Four years ago, that was fine. But this year? Today? Silver isn't good enough. So, you need to remember why we're here, Becs. We are here to win that gold medal. You need to get your head in the game and forget everything else. Forget about Chloe, forget about Tom, forget about whoever took that picture of you and Chloe kissing. You need to wipe all of that clear from your mind because for the next fifteen minutes, they _do not matter_. It's what we leave out on that ice that matters. You need to focus on me and you, and competing the way we have been trained to. We are the best. And the Beca I know would never let anything get in the way of her competing her absolute best."

Beca smirked as Jesse's dark eyes bore into hers, his face as serious as she had ever seen it. Her smirk quickly turned into a smile.

"That was one hell of a pep talk, Swanson."

The corner of Jesse's lip twitched. "You bet your ass it was."

Beca stood up, feeling like a completely different person than the one who had been stressing on the floor just a minute ago. Now, she felt like a competitor. She reached down, pulling Jesse up onto his feet. She reached out and clasped his hand in hers.  
"I'm fucking _in _this."

Jesse beamed, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug.

"Hey, don't break me before we compete!"

Jesse pulled back apologetically, and then gave her an affectionate look, pointing his finger between her eyes like the tough guy he would never be.

"And you can bet that whoever took that picture of you and Chloe will have some serious hell to pay." he said.

"Okay, calm down there, killer." Beca laughed.

Jesse's mouth dropped open in mock insult.

"What, you think I couldn't take someone out? Because I so could."

"Sure, Jess. There's no one I'd rather have by my side if I got into some trouble in a dark alleyway. You would be the first person I would want with me."

"Hey, I would be great in a scary situation! I need to deal with you all day everyday, don't I?"

Beca punched him in the arm, laughing.

"Asshole."

"Okay, you guys, you're up next. How're you feeling?" their coach asked as he approached them.

"We're feeling great." Jesse said confidently, leading Beca out to the boards with his hand on her back.

Beca took a deep breath, and met Jesse's eyes as the Russian team who had just competed received their scores. 71.47. Nothing to worry about. Beca and Jesse's highest score for their Short Dance was 76.32. Chloe and Tom were Beca and Jesse's only real competition. Their highest score in the Short Dance was just slightly above Beca and Jesse's at 77.01. Beca knew that if they skated their best, they could top that.

"Remember, connect with one another. Give every move a purpose. Make sure your footwork is clean and precise on the diagonal step sequence. Keep the pace going, don't lose steam."

"Got it." Beca nodded.

Beca briefly looked behind her at Chloe and Tom, using the sight of them as fuel to flare her competitive fire. After the Short Dance, she could go back to looking at Chloe as her girlfriend. But until then, she was her competitor.

"From the United States, Beca Mitchell and Jesse Swanson." The announcer projected over the arena.

"Ready to tango?" Jesse asked as they glided out onto the ice, hand in hand.

"You bet, weirdo."

Jesse gave her hand one last fierce squeeze before they took their opening position. Beca's heart thudded in her ears, and she took a deep breath, focusing on the feel of Jesse's arm around her waist, of his fingers digging into her hip. She looked up sultrily at him, completely in character. Their connection and chemistry was something they had worked on tirelessly throughout the season, and Beca knew that it was about to pay off big time. She could already feel the audience being drawn in.

Their music started, and the program flew by so quickly and seamlessly that as it ended, Beca was having a hard time remembering what had actually happened. As they hit their final pose, the music swelled and then ceased, and the crowd roared. An elated-looking Jesse pulled her into his arms, panting. Beca blissfully smiled into his shoulder, feeling as stunned and triumphant as if she had actually just been handed the gold medal.

"That was…" Jesse struggled for words.

"I swear I barely remember it." Beca laughed.

They took their bows and skated to the boards, their bodies heavy, and their eyes shining. They each hugged Christopher as they got off the ice, and it was clear that their coach couldn't have been prouder.

"I have never seen you two perform that well." he gushed.

As they sat themselves down in the Kiss and Cry, Beca chugged from a water bottle, nervous and eager to get their scores. The playback footage began to play on the Jumbotron and Beca's knee bounced in anticipation. Her jaw dropped as she watched her and Jesse fly across the ice like there was nothing under their feet but air. Their rotational lift was so fast it was almost dangerous-looking and their twizzles had never been more in sync, not to mention their connection was better than it ever had been. If Beca were the type of person who cried at overly happy occasions, then she would have been bawling right about now.

"I can't believe we did that," she breathed.

Jesse wrapped his arm around her shoulders, deliriously happy.

"Look at us! We look…"

"Hot." Beca finished, smirking.

"Well, I do at least." Jesse teased.

"And the score for Beca Mitchell and Jesse Swanson of the United States of America…"

Beca held her breath.

_77.54_

"… Beca Mitchell and Jesse Swanson are currently in first place."

"We did it!" Beca squeaked in a very un-Beca like way as Jesse wrapped her into another crushing hug. Beca squeezed him back just as fervently. When they pulled back they looked into each other's eyes, catching their breath and coming to their senses. Their smiles faded only slightly as they shared the same exact thought at the exact same time. Jesse was the one who said it out loud.

"Now… all we have to do is wait for Chloe and Tom."


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you nervous?" Jesse asked as they headed to watch Chloe and Tom compete from a screen set up backstage. Beca nodded her head in admittance as she sat down, her lips set in a firm line as she folded her hands tightly in her lap. Beca knew Jesse had only asked because he was just as nervous as she was. As confident as they felt about their performance, there was no room to feel comfortable when it came to Chloe and Tom. They were too closely matched. The two teams had been flip-flopping first and second place all season, with Beca and Jesse taking the top spot at their last competition before Sochi. And that was definitely comforting, but it didn't allow for very much breathing room. One miniscule mistake by either team could cost them the gold.

Jesse reached over and grabbed one of Beca's hands out of her lap, then wrapped his other arm around her shoulders.

"Chloe's nervous." Beca commented as Chloe and Tom took the ice. Beca couldn't help but notice that her girlfriend looked stunning in her tango costume. Where Beca's had been short, blood red, and sassy -fitting for her personality- Chloe's was longer, black and covered in black rhinestones giving her a softer, more sensual appearance. But her chest was moving up and down quickly, her breathing shallow.

Jesse looked over at Beca, wordlessly acknowledging her observation about Chloe. He leaned forward in his seat as Chloe and Tom's music began to play.

Chloe and Tom's tango was as different to Beca and Jesse's as two Short Dances could possibly be. Where Beca and Jesse were all quick transitions, fiery, theatrical expression, and complex footwork, Chloe and Tom were all languid lines, sizzling chemistry, and longing touches. But, as Chloe and Tom's program came to a close, there was no denying it; Beca and Jesse had outskated them. Maybe it had been Chloe's nerves, but Chloe and Tom's foot placement had been the slightest bit shaky in some places, and their momentum had dropped visibly towards the end of the program. And it was clear as Chloe and Tom hit their final pose that Chloe was upset about their performance. Chloe shrugged in an almost defeated way as they broke hold, and Tom comfortingly pulled Chloe into him, kissing her forehead, her cheek, and then pecking her on the lips. Beca tried to ignore the way her cheeks flamed as Tom pressed his forehead against Chloe's, whispering to her. Beca felt bombarded with a hundred different emotions, and she pulled her hand from Jesse's, clearing her throat as she tried to wipe them all away. She should be focusing on the completely thrilling fact that they were probably going to remain in first place. Right now, that was the most important thing. And she should be happy about it. She was happy about it.

"I think we did it," she said hesitantly to Jesse.

Jesse threw his hands up dramatically. "Don't say that yet! Don't jinx us!"

"There's nothing to jinx, you dork." Beca shoved his knee. "They're done skating. And you just watched the same program I watched. Get excited. Smile."

"Beca Mitchell, telling me to smile? This needs to be documented in the record books. I'll smile when they get their scores." Jesse bargained, but reached for Beca's hand again. He squeezed it hard as the announcer began to speak.

"The score for Chloe Beale and Tom Lawrence of the United States… 76.12. Chloe Beale and Tom Lawrence are currently in second place."

"Oh my god." Jesse breathed.

Beca squeezed Jesse's fingers so excitedly that she swore she heard three of his knuckles crack. They looked at each other, beaming, but trying not to let their excitement bubble over too much. They hadn't won the gold yet.

Christopher, who had been standing behind them, clasped both of their shoulders with his hands, and Beca and Jesse stood up to hug their coach.

"Congratulations."

Beca looked up to see a very bitter looking Amelia Lingo approaching them with Chloe and Tom following behind. Beca frowned as Amelia reached out to shake her hand. The woman had always rubbed Beca the wrong way. Even now as she congratulation them, her voice was dripping with bitterness.

"Thank you." Jesse said cordially when Beca didn't respond. As Amelia moved to hug her brother, Beca turned to Chloe and Tom.

"You skated beautifully."

"You skated better." Chloe countered. Beca was amazed with her girlfriend's grace, even in the face of defeat. Especially in the face of defeat. She wished she could kiss her.

"Hey, don't worry, we're going to kick your ass in the Free Dance." Tom said, leaning forward to give Jesse a masculine bro-hug, slapping him on his shoulder blade. As the two boys began to razz each other, Beca discreetly pulled Chloe away from the group, her face growing concerned as her eyes searched Chloe's face.

"Hey, um… are you okay?" she asked tentatively. Beca had never been very good at communication and confrontation when it came to relationships, and she felt the slightest bit awkward addressing the fact that something was clearly going on with her girlfriend.

"Well, besides for the fact that we're in second place…"

Beca blushed. "You know that's not what I mean."

"I'm… fine." Chloe sighed. "I'm just worried about…" _The picture_ she told Beca with her eyes. "And I was stupid enough to let it effect the way I skated. That's all. I'll be fine. I don't know if I want to talk about my skating with the enemy." Chloe teased.

Beca blanched, sensing that there was the slightest bit of truth to the words. She hoped she and Chloe were better than to let this once in a lifetime experience- or twice in a lifetime- ruin what was between them.

"Hey… we'll figure it out, okay?" Beca once again fought the urge to grab Chloe's hand.

"Yeah."

"Maybe we can talk about it later?" Beca offered, though could hear the hesitancy in her own voice. As much as she wanted to be around Chloe, she was scared to be caught doing anything that might keep the rumor mill going. It was why she had kept a cautious distance from her girlfriend since the picture had been posted. They needed to get through the rest of these Olympics without any more controversy surrounding them and when it was all over and they were back home they could figure out what to do about their relationship. It wasn't that either of them was afraid to be out about their relationship, but there was so much more than just the two of them to consider. There were their partners, their images as rivals, the entire skating federation to deal with. But, for right now, they just had to get through Sochi without causing an international scandal, or casting a shadow over their country by taking away from their sport and putting the attention on their personal lives. That was not what the Olympics were about. Beca refused to turn a worldwide, ages old event into some kind of sleazy reality show starring her and Chloe. She knew Chloe felt the same. They had both worked too hard in their careers to let them be reduced to that. Beca would sooner skate over her own fingers before she would let herself be remembered as anything other than a world-class athlete, and hopefully gold medalist.

"Maybe." Chloe answered.

"Hey, Chlo, do you wanna grab food?" Tom asked, coming up behind Chloe.

"Sure." Chloe nodded.

"Jeremy just texted me that he wants to hang out later, so we should all head over there tonight." Tom said.

"Sounds good to me." Jesse nodded.

"I'll see you at Jeremy's then." Chloe said.

Chloe and Beca shared a brief look, and Beca tried not to frown as Tom grabbed Chloe's hand and walked away. Beca swore she saw the flash of a camera as she looked up, and she turned around, feeling paranoid.

"Did you just see that?" Beca asked, more to herself than to Jesse, as her eyes scanned the backstage area. Maybe she was going crazy.

"Becs." Jesse grabbed her shoulders and twisted her around to face him. "You're so out of it. Come on! Let's go celebrate!"

Beca grinned, allowing her happiness at their win to eclipse all of the other feelings that were fighting for dominance inside of her.

"Let's go."

She linked her arm through Jesse's and let him to lead her out of the arena. They were in first place, and god dammit; she was going to try to enjoy it.


End file.
